UNIVERSITY OF WAIKATO
EDUCATIONAL
LEADERSHIP CENTRE
BIMODALITY, DUALISM OR
PLURALISM IN
PRINCIPAL DEVELOPMENT
JEREMY KEDIAN
INCREASING PRINCIPAL
EFFECTIVENESS
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Effective schools are run by effective
principals.
There is an educational, social, and
financial benefit in increasing the
effectiveness of principals.
Principal effectiveness is an international
issue.
CHARATERISTICS OF
PRINCIPALSHIP
Complexity
Simultaneity
Immediacy
Ambiguity
SOME ASSUMPTIONS
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There are qualitative differences that
distinguish highly effective principals
from competent principals.
Highly effective principals possess
identifiable capacities that “make a
difference”.
The differences can be isolated and
described.
ISSUES

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Current educational vocabulary is a
limiting factor.
“It is hard to think of things except in the
way we have always thought of them”
(Handy, 1990)
ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT
SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

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Leadership can be described by the styles
of behaviour of people in leadership
positions.
Leadership involves varying degrees of
directive and non-directive behaviour,
depending upon a given context.
Leadership involves people in
organisations rather than merely
organisations
MORE ASSUMPTIONS!

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Choice of leadership styles and
behaviours is governed by their
contextual effectiveness.
There is no single, universal “best
practice” that will be highly effective in
all contexts.
The ultimate beneficiary of effective
leadership in schools is student learning.
SOURCES OF PRESSURE
FOR PRINCIPALS

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Children’s learning
Personal perceptions of effectiveness
Maintaining personal credibility in the
eyes of colleagues
Development of the school as a viable
organisation
SOURCES OF PRESSURE
FOR PRINCIPALS

Accountability to parents and the
community for the performance of the
school, primarily in terms of students
learning

Accountability to a legislated governing
authority
THE DOMAINS

Skills Domain

Conceptual/Perceptual Domain
THE SKILLS DOMAIN
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Knowledge of the curriculum
Effective management of school resources
Appropriate staff relationships
Effective budgeting and financial
recording
Appropriate planning ability
Effective property maintenance
THE SKILLS DOMAIN

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Knowledge, and appropriate application,
of education legislation and school rules
Managing effective discipline systems
Manage the school roll effectively
Ability to run staff meetings well
Build and maintain effective relationships
with the community
THE OTHER DOMAIN:
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
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Concepts
Characteristics
Perceptions
Wisdoms
Craft
Traits
“Charatraits”!
CRAFTED WISDOMS
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Resilience
Interpersonal ability
Motivation
Professionality and professional
knowledge
Personal integrity
CRAFTED WISDOMS
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Futures/strategic orientation
Contextual awareness
Personal and professional wisdom
Leadership
Reflexiveness
FINAL WORD
“So the urgent drives out the important;
and the future goes largely unexplored;
and the capacity to act rather than the
capacity to think and imagine becomes the
sole measure for leadership.”
Hamel and Prahalad (1994)